Groepsportret met twee meisjes en een jongen 1866 - 1900

This photograph of two girls and a boy was created by A. & G. Taylor. Taken in a studio in the late nineteenth century, probably in the Netherlands, this image demonstrates how the rise of photography democratized portraiture. Before this time, only the wealthy could afford to have their likeness captured in paint, to be displayed in the private sphere of their home. The rise of commercial photography studios gave access to a new class of people, those who wanted to represent themselves in a similar fashion to the upper classes. The children, well-dressed and posed formally, show how photography offered new possibilities for social representation, where the trappings of wealth and status could be captured in an instant. It would be fascinating to research the archives of the Taylor studio to determine the social class of their clientele, and consider how the studio played a role in shaping the visual culture of the time.